All Hands, No Jobs
A free Portland gathering for people whose employment status does not tell you who they are. Complete for now; another gathering is possible, but nothing is scheduled.
Current state Open to read
Employment is an economic status, not an identity.
You can be unemployed and still be a geographer, a cook, a caregiver, a maker, a neighbor. You can also arrive with nothing to offer. Belonging does not require proof of usefulness.
All Hands, No Jobs is an informal gathering for people who are unemployed, underemployed, between jobs, freelancing, or working and still struggling. I organized it personally, as a Portland neighbor.
An all-hands meeting, minus the employer.
The gathering is complete
All Hands, No Jobs is complete for now. I may host another gathering, but nothing is currently scheduled. If I do, this project will become active again and the new details will live here.
The format and ideas below remain available for anyone who wants to host their own version.
Your name, in your own words
Optional nametags have space for a chosen name and something you want people to know: I’m a… I’m into… I care about…
Write a role, an interest, a craft, or simply “neighbor.” Leave it blank if you prefer. Nobody needs your employment history or a pitch about your potential.
What I’ve Got / What I Need
The optional Neighbor Board has two sides:
What I’ve Got: Something I can do, know, teach, make, lend, or help with.
What I Need: Something another person might be able to help with.
Post an offer, a request, both, or neither. Spot a connection and go say hello. You do not owe an offer in exchange for asking, and nobody is being recruited to work for free.
Exchange contact details directly if you want to stay in touch. Take your card when you leave. The board is a way to start a conversation; any later arrangement belongs to the people making it.
We still have agency in what happens next.
Jobs, wages, government, and public services matter. A gathering cannot replace them. Institutional failure can still leave people waiting separately for something to change.
We can make one connection without waiting for a new program. We can ask for help, share what we know, and recognize each other beyond the labor market.
Employment describes a paid arrangement. Contribution can take many forms. Belonging is not conditional on either.
A gathering with clear limits
No recruiters, job fair, networking performance, fundraising, or organization to join. No promise of a job or an ongoing service. This is separate from my other projects, and attending is not an endorsement of them or of me.
The format does not include organized childcare, food service, transportation assistance, or employment support. Anyone adapting it should explain their own location, access arrangements, and limits clearly.
Nametags and the board are optional. Ask before photographing a person; leave their nametag and board card out of the public record.
What success means
Someone arrives alone and has a good conversation. Someone asks for what they need. Two people decide to stay in touch.
That can be enough. The gathering does not need to prove a theory, generate a crowd photograph, or turn into a permanent organization.
Where it stands
Complete for now. There is no recurring schedule or next event announced. This page preserves the idea and format; it can become active again if I host another gathering.
A single gathering can fulfill the purpose. The idea can remain available after the event is complete.
If this should exist in your city, steal it.
Invite people. Make room for names that mean more than job titles. Offer a way to say what you have and what you need. Let participation be optional.
Host your own version. You do not need me to administer it. Adaptable materials will live here when they are ready.
Meet the people around you. Ask for what you need. Offer what you can. Start somewhere.